Chapter 1: A Rush of Beauty
I slam down my empty long island on the bar top, my short brown hair swinging in front of my face, “Honestly, I’m just relieved I don’t have to look at another one of his scraggly d*ck pics. That thing could scare Satan herself into hiding.”
I smooth out my dark blue skirt, waving a manicured hand over to the bartender for another. My tanned roommate with a slick buzz cut rolls his eyes, swatting down my hand as he sets his empty beer bottle on the bar of the bustling night club. “Girl, you need to slow down on those.”
I wag a finger, nearly toppling out of my chair, “And you, Mister Kirby, need to lighten up.”
My other roommate, a shorter woman in a green jumpsuit and dyed blue hair, wraps an arm around me, “Lily, we love you. We adore you, even. But you are one of the sloppiest drunks we know. You need to pull yourself together before we have a repeat of St. Patrick’s Day.”
“Can’t a girl just be sad these days?” I retort, getting up and straightening out my sequined top. I reorient myself before glaring back at them with the sort of brown eyed stare my mother always used to give me, “Two f*cking years! I was with Ryan for two years and that piece of sh*t can’t even have the decency to give me anything more than a ‘It’s me, not you.’ So EXCUSE ME for wanting to have a couple drinks with my friends, forget my own name for two freaking seconds, and dance with that hottie who keeps eyeballing me.”
Kirby and his partner River both glance over to the dance floor where a six-foot tall, muscular man winks at me. I grin, pushing my way past my friends to meet him across the club.
“Those abs are going to burst right through that shirt.”
“I think that’s the point, love,” River sighs as she turns back to her drink at the bar.
I sways to the beat of the blaring music, some song I know but can’t seem to recognize plays throughout the club, ringing through my ears. My vision pulsates in time with the bass as the man from across the club holds out a hand for me. I gladly accept it, twirling into the man’s arm.
“Hey there,” the man whispers, his voice deep and gravelly in a way that sends chills down my spine.
“Mm, hello,” I smile back as I wrap my arms around the man’s neck and let my wide hips swing with the rhythm.
“And just who do I have the honor of dancing with tonight?”
I squeeze the man's built shoulders, revelling in the way his biceps nearly bulge out of his sleeves, “You can call me anything you want as long as you keep these bad boys around me.” I wink up at him flirtatiously, tilting my head to the side so my hair falls just in front of my shoulder.
“Haha, alrighty then. Sounds good to me.”
As the music plays, I let my body get lost in the flashing lights, the thunderous bass, and the gorgeous man in front of me. Bodies grind around me as the upbeat tempo quickens just as fast as my body temperature rises. I grin at the man before me, playfully shaking my chest. I can see the way he eyes my cleavage in this V-neck top and am honestly living for the attention.
He runs his hands down my arms, sending a flash of memories right through me: Ryan dancing with me in his kitchen, his hair tied back in a neat man bun as his caramel eyes seemingly smile down at me.
I shake my head viciously, forcing herself back into the present. Trying to not let it throw off my groove, I turn around, letting my butt swivel to the beat and pressing myself closer to the stranger. I let my eyes fall shut, only to be bombarded by more memories flashing by: dinner dates out by the sea, family gatherings filled with laughter and comfort, rose bouquets and fancy jewelry, intimate nights with lingering touches and caresses.
I squeeze my eyes shut tighter and pick up the pace, grinding against the man with new-found vigor.
Drunk enough to lose my footing, but not drunk enough to forget, my mind continues to replay the earlier events of the night. The rage inside me bubbles over, consuming my every thought.
“He was supposed to propose! We all thought it! Even his mom was like egging him on to pop the question. But noooooooo! Mr. Ryan Evergreen has other plans! He’s gonna explore the world! He’s gonna f*cking…f*ck! What does he do for work again?”
“Sounds like you could use another drink,” the man replies, trying to lure me back into a more positive state.
I shake my head, bringing myself back into the moment and completely over this little escapade. “Oh, sh*t. That was supposed to be an inside thought.” I glance back over to the bar, squinting just enough to see a speck of blue hair still waiting for me. “Maybe my friends were right. Maybe I should slow down here. Go cry into some ice cream. Freaking…I don’t know. Watch ‘The Notebook’ or something. Whatever sad people do.”
The man spins me back around to face him, sliding his hands down to my hips and pressing our bodies against one another. “Or, you could stay here and get revenge on that Ryan guy.”
“It’s over with him. There’s no revenge at this point.”
“Mm, but there is certainly pleasure to be had. I’ve got a few good references I could show you, if you catch my drift.”
I take a second to actually look this guy over, realizing that besides the muscles, there’s really nothing all that attractive about him. He looks like the kind of frat dude still obsessed with his college football career. No longer enjoying the appeal of a stranger creeping in on my space, I step back from him, running my fingers through my wavy locks. “Nah, I appreciate it, dude. I think I’m just gonna go sob in the bathroom and puke in the back of my friend’s car. Maybe next-”
He roughly grabs my wrist, holding me firmly in place. His eyes grow dark as he steps closer, looming over my slender frame with his bulking body. The tension shifts dramatically from friendly and flirty, to downright aggressive.
“What are you doing? I’m going home. Back off.”
“You’re gonna go where I tell you you are, girlie. And right now, I think it’s time you follow me.”
I glance back over to my friends, who are laughing with another couple at the bar, completely oblivious to my situation. Great. I try to call out to them, but the music blares too loud for me to be heard, “River! Kirby! Come on! Kirby come help!”
The man tugs on my wrist, lurching me forward and causing me to lose my footing. I stumble right into him, smacking my face against his sweaty, disgusting pecks.
“Mm, feeling eager now, are we?”
“Stop pulling on me! I just said I don’t want to go,” I cry out, desperately pulling at the hand around my wrist. My drunken efforts lie in vain as his fingers refuse to budge an inch. Stupid gym rat.
He takes his other free hand and presses it against the small of my back, leading me away from the dancefloor and further away from my friends’ line of sight. Sh*t! This is bad. This is getting really bad really fast.
“Listen, I’ll make sure you have a good time too. You just need to relax, okay?”
“I’ll relax when you leave me the f*ck alone!” I make a futile attempt to run away from him, but his grip only tightens further. “Somebody! Anybody come help! Stop him!” I try to call out, but nobody seems to notice me. I’m truly just as alone as I feel.
“Listen, you were the one who came over to me. Out here grinding on me and flirting with my biceps. You started this.”
A female voice smooth like satin rings out like an angel’s call, “And I’ll be the one to end it.”
I twist my head, frantically looking around to figure out who that voice belonged to, but before I can even begin to think, the guy holding onto me screams out. I whip around just in time to watch him let go of my wrist in a flurry of movement and panic. What on earth is happening? Is this really an angel’s doing?
In an instant, a rush of platinum blonde swoops past me, leaving a trail of lavender in the air that both calms and seduces me. I blink and seemingly miss the entire action, because when I open my eyes, the man is pinned to a nearby wall, cowering in fear of the blonde in front of him.
My eyes fall shut again, and when they open, I spot the side profile of the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen holding her manicured hand around the guy’s neck. I stand dumbstruck, completely enraptured by the command and energy this woman holds. I can feel my heartbeat quicken, this overwhelming feeling of desire washing over me. The man swallows nervously as the woman glares at him like a predator eyeing its prey. What I wouldn’t give to be in her hands right now…
Suddenly, a new set of chills run up my spine, ones I won’t ever be able to forget for as long as I live.